Bad Boys for Life (2020) Movie Review

Hello guys and welcome back for another round of movie reviews with Movie Nerd, a place where you can be nerdy about movies!

So, today I am going to talk about the third movie in the Bad Boys franchise that started way back in 1995, where the first one was launched, followed by a sequel in 2003, which was not well regarded but, hey, I have a sweet spot for Michael Bay movies, there like a guilty pleasure and with the Transformers movies as well, except the 5th one which I did not enjoy. When I heard that a third movie was being made and still had Will Smith and Martin Lawrence I was very excited because I really enjoyed the first two movies, there a sample of good dumb action movies.

Before I dive in to this review, a bit of a synopsis for you, in case you are not familiar with the franchise or haven't seen the previous movies: the film follows detectives Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) reuniting once again when someone starts murdering people involved in an old case.

So, right I can say that I really enjoyed this movie a whole lot better than the previous two entries because, although it looks and feels the same as the other two, it has something that makes it stand apart, in a good way. Like to remind or inform you that this one was directed by Michael Bay, although the director appears as a short cameo in the movie, and it feels because the two directors that made this movie, Adil El Arbi and Billal Fallah, knew how to take advantage of the movie's strengths and none of it's weaknesses. It shows, because the movie is well constructed, the story is well thought out, although in some parts there are some cracks thru which the story kinda slides into, the characters are developed well enough, the new ones.

Action is great, fully packed with explosions, car chases and gun fights, it has plenty of humor which, all of it, in my opinion, was very good and not over the top or exaggerated. I am taking about the humor because the movie can also go into serious mode just like that, which I found it a bit confusing but very welcoming because in the previous movies, apart from the action, you didn't have much but, in this case, you have a bit of emotional drama which can make the movie move back and forth between emotions, being funny at one point and switching to emotional in the other.

My favorite thing about this franchise were the two leads, Smith and Lawrence and their extraordinary chemistry on screen and in real life. Here they are still very good, maybe even better than before, with the humor solidifying their chemistry even further.

Overall, for me, I consider this the best in the franchise. It has everything you want from a Bad Boys movie and for a Bad Boys fan like myself, I got plenty and then some. Action, humor, emotion, explosions, special effects and two awesome leads that truly elevated this whole movie and the franchise. Although it was not directed by Michael Bay, it still has some of trade mark directorial signatures, which I did not have a problem with. It's the sequel that bread new life into this dormant franchise and a post credit scene kinda promised another movie. We shall see but, for now, good job on this one. 7.5/10

OK guys, that is my review for this one. Next up, I think it will be 1917. Until then, take care, stay movie nerdy and keep on reviewing!